Is it worth paying for gutter cleaning?

What does paying for gutter cleaning protect against?

Paying for gutter cleaning protects your home against the damage caused by overflowing water. When gutters block, rain pours over the edge and down the wall instead of into the drain. Over time that causes:

• damp patches and mould on inside walls
• green staining and algae on brickwork and render
• crumbling mortar between bricks
• rotten timber fascias, which then can't hold the gutter brackets
• water pooling at the base of the wall, near the foundations
• sagging gutters, pulled down by the weight of wet debris

Each of these costs more to put right than a routine clean. See what happens if you never clean gutters for how the damage builds up.

Why is it safer to pay a professional?

It's safer to pay a professional because falls from ladders are a common cause of serious injury at home. Gutter work means reaching sideways at height while holding debris, often on uneven ground. Many Paignton homes sit on sloping plots with steps or split-level gardens, which makes setting a ladder safely even harder.

Professional contractors use stabilised ladders, access towers or gutter vacuum systems that work from the ground, and they carry public liability insurance.

What do you get from a professional clean that you might miss?

A professional clean usually includes the downpipes, not just the gutters, and a check of the joints, brackets and outlets as the contractor works. Many contractors with vacuum systems use a camera on the pole, so you can see the gutter before and after. That inspection often catches a cracked joint or a loose bracket early, while it's still a small gutter repair.

When is gutter cleaning most worth paying for?

Gutter cleaning is most worth paying for when your home has trees nearby, gulls nesting on the roof, a two- or three-storey height, or gutters that haven't been cleared for a few years. Homes near Clennon Valley, on tree-lined roads or with older mossy roofs around Old Paignton tend to fill fastest.

How do you keep the cost down?

Keep the cost down by booking at the right time of year, so one clean covers the worst of leaf fall, and by asking neighbours with a shared gutter run if they want theirs done on the same visit. Read what affects the cost of gutter cleaning and what month you should clean gutters.

Answer the questions on this page to get quotes from up to four local contractors and compare them.